This proposal requests funds to support an international symposium on "Mitochondrial Physiology and Medicine" to be held on September 7 - 11, 2011, at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. This meeting will be the 65th Annual Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists (SGP). The annual symposium of the SGP has established its legacy as being the premier and most innovative meeting for physiologists, cell biologists, and biophysicists worldwide that span across all career stages and professional arenas. Recent groundbreaking discoveries demonstrating the pivotal role of mitochondria in controlling human physiology and disease have repositioned mitochondria back to the center stage of biomedical research. With typically d 200 participants, SGP symposia are large enough to provide detailed and in depth analyses of a focused area of research, while at the same time being small enough to maximize individual discussions and foster collaborative interactions between students, postdoctoral fellows, new investigators and established leaders within the field. An incredibly enriched and ambitious program has been developed for this meeting. Specifically, the meeting benefit greatly from two internationally-acclaimed leaders in mitochondrial research as keynote speakers: Dr. David Clapham (Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Douglas Wallace (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). The program was developed by an impressive Organizing Committee consisting of recognized leaders in mitochondrial research including Drs. P. Bernardi (University of Padova), R. Dirksen (University of Rochester), R. Gottlieb (San Diego State University), G. HajnLczky (Thomas Jefferson University), and B O'Rourke (Johns Hopkins University). The symposium will focus on 5 overarching themes: (1) mitochondrial morphology, movement, and dynamics, (2) mitochondrial systems biology, (3) mitochondrial ion channels and transporters, (4) mitochondrial communication and signaling, and (5) mitochondria in cell death and disease. These topics represent an integration of mitochondrial physiology and medicine from molecular to human levels with a special emphasis on the role of mitochondria as agents and therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease. We expect that this conference will attract approximately 150-200 basic and clinical scientists across all career stages working at the cutting edge of mitochondrial research. The Society of General Physiologists and the members of organization committee are poised to ensure the success of this symposium. It is our aim that through open dialogue and communication, new and important ideas and novel therapies will emerge as a direct result of this timely meeting.